Music, I love you…

Category Archives: The Prodigy

What do you mean you still need to think about whether you’re coming to the festival or not? Well, if you’ve still not made up your mind, check out this full recording of the legendary concert they held at the Red Square in Moscow. I had this recorded on VHS. It was one of my most treasured possessions. I still have it…somewhere.

Yes, I said I don’t have a favourite track from “The Fat of the Land” album but this is my favourite single by The Prodigy.

Everything about this single is brilliant. The video is a mindf*ck, the bass line rips into your soul and everything about it screams such that it causes this pleasurable pain. It also characterised the summer of 1996 which was probably the best time for music ever.

So that concludes a week long introduction to the brilliance of The Prodigy. I guess I will see you at Synergy tomorrow at Riversands Farm in Fourways? You know you have to go. Do it. Just do it.

“The Fat of the Land” was The Prodigy’s pinnacle. The album topped the charts on both sides of the Altantic and spawned two HUGE #1 singles. At the time, it was the fastest selling album ever and has since sold around 10 million copies. Yet, the critics loved it. It did not try to fit in. In true Prodigy style, it shone because it was so brash, so harsh yet so polished and so great.

“Firestarter” gave them their first #1 single in the UK. When this happened, they re-released their previous nine singles. The Prodigy littered the Top 200. I thought that was pretty damn cool.

I don’t have a favourite track on the album. I just cannot pick one. I did want to showcase this song. You might remember it from The Matrix. It’s an epic track.

Prior to the release of “Voodoo People,” The Prodigy released “No Good (Start the Dance.):

The video is one of my favourite of all time. Shot in a warehouse in black and white, the video feels so minimal as its builds ever so slowly. The imagery is brilliant and so is the feel. I love it, love it, LOVE IT!

The sophomore album is usually the hardest. The Prodigy probably knew this when they were recording “Music for the Jilted Generation.” So they made an album which hit #1 in the UK album charts upon released, was nominated for the Mercury Prize and in 2008, got played in FULL on Zane Lowe’s show on BBC Radio 1.

The album featured some awesome tracks but the standout was this track. Mostly because of the low-tech, freaky-ass video. I actually remember this video from the days of Zero Hour Zone. Anyone remember that?

The song was released as a single in 1994 and reached #13 in the UK. A fun fact – the main riff of the song is from a Nirvana song. In 2005, to coincide with the release of “Their Laws: The Singles 1990 – 2005“, Pendulum remixed the song and this was released on single. It reached #20. A new video accompanied the single. Who is the lady at the end of the video? Well, its none other than Sharky, the only female member of The Prodigy. She left the band in the early days…

I cannot explain how excited I am about this. This band is #1 on my “bands to watch” bucket list. After this, I really only need to see The Chemical Brothers and Daft Punk live. Then I can become a hermit.

They will be playing the Synergy Festival in Johannesburg and Cape Town. If you’re still debating whether to go or not, well, let me twist your arm. This week, I will be featuring songs by The Prodigy.

This was their first single released in 1991. It’s called “Charly” and samples a little known BBC public information campaign from the 70s. Is the title a cultural drug reference? Well, the band was huge in the underground rave scene. The video is ridiculous yet the brilliance of the music really shines through. There is definitely something special about this band.

The single peaked at #3 in the UK which is quite an accomplishment. The song is on the album “The Prodigy Experience.” Do yourself a favour and find this album. In my opinion, its one of the best debut albums ever.